The Battle of Balaclava - Crimean War - Charge of the Light Brigade The Battle of Balaclava The Charge of the Light Brigade, the Charge of the Heavy Brigade and the Thin Red Line War: Crimean War Place: On the southern Crimean coast in the Ukraine. Combatants: British, French and Turkish troops against the Imperial Russian Army. Generals: Lieutenant General the Earl of Raglan commanded the British Army, General Saint-Arnaud commanded the French Army. Prince Menshikov commanded the Russian Army. The Russian commander of the Balaclava assault was General Liprandi, Menshikov’s second in command. Click here or on image to buy a Print Uniforms, arms and equipment: See the main Crimean War site on britishbattles.com. Winner: Balaclava is a battle honour for all the British regiments that took part. It is usually a pre-condition for a battle honour that the battle is a victory for British arms. Balaclava was a strategic defeat. The Russians captured seven guns and at the end of the battle held the ground they had attacked.

Against this the three episodes in the battle; the Charge of the Heavy Brigade, the Thin Red Line and the Charge of the Light Brigade, are such icons of courage and achievement for the British Army, that it is not surprising the military authorities awarded Balaclava as a battle honour to the regiments involved. 1st Royal Dragoons 4th Dragoon Guards: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 5th Dragoon Guards: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 1st Royal Dragoons: now the Blues and Royals. Royal Scots Greys: now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons: now the Royal Dragoon Guards. 4th Light Dragoons: now the Queen’s Royal Hussars. 8th Hussars: now the Queen’s Royal Hussars. 11th Hussars: now the King’s Royal Husars. 13th Light Dragoons: now the Light Dragoons. 17th Lancers: now the Queen’s Royal Lancers. 93rd Highlanders: now the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. All these regiments have Balaclava as a battle honour.

Account: In mid-September 1854 the British and French armies with a small Turkish contingent landed on the Western Crimean coast 30 miles north of Sevastopol with the aim of capturing this important Russian Black Sea naval base. An officer of the 93rd Highlanders The allied armies marched south along the coast and fought the battle of the Alma on that river, defeating the Russian army and driving it back towards the city. Lord Raglan and Marshal St Arnaud, the two commanders in chief, resolved to march around the inland side of Sevastopol and begin siege operations against the city from the South. Once the march had been completed the French established their base at Kamiesh on the south western tip of the Crimea, south of Sevastopol, while the British took Balaclava as their base, 15 miles along the coast to the East.

The Battle of Balaclava (this map appears in the best selling book, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Gonn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden, in the section Famous Battles-Part Two) The Russian commander, Prince Menshikov, marched his army out of Sevastopol to the North East, leaving a garrison to conduct the defence of the city. The allies were thereby left with two tasks; the siege of the city and holding off Menshikov’s army. During October 1854 reinforcements came in to Menshikov’s army from elsewhere in the Crimea and further afield in Russia until his army was larger than that of the allies. The 93rd Highlanders repel the Russian Cavalry On 25th October 1854 Menshikov launched an assault across the Tchernaya River to the North East of Balaclava with the aim of capturing the British base. The assault was commanded by his deputy, General Liprandi. Liprandi crossed the Tractir Bridge across the river and advanced on the positions held by Turkish troops along the Causeway Heights.

He commanded twenty-five battalions of infantry, twenty-three squadrons of cavalry, thirteen squadrons of Cossack light horse and sixty-six guns. Supporting General Liprandi by occupying the Fedioukine Hills was a further force commanded by General Jabrokritski, of seven battalions and fourteen guns. The total force comprised 20,000 infantry, 3,500 cavalry and 76 guns. A trooper of the 13the Light Dragoons on picquet duty The Woronzoff Road running along the ridge of the Causeway Heights provided an important communication for the British, being the only firm road from Balaclava up to the siege works at Sevastopol. The Turkish troops were building six redoubts along the Heights to protect the road and defend Balaclava. The work was not far progressed. Nine 12 pounder naval guns bolstered these positions. After a heavy bombardment the Turkish troops were driven out of the Number One redoubt on Canrobert’s Hill, suffering some 400 casualties of a garrison of 500.

A French Chasseurs D'Afrique Lord Raglan from his headquarters on the Sapouné Heights to the West saw the threat to Balaclava and his lines of communications. The only British troops between the Russian force and the port were the two cavalry brigades which had their encampments in the valley, the 93rd Highlanders and a small force of marines. Raglan ordered the 2nd and 4th Divisions to march down from their camps outside the Sevastopol siege lines to support the cavalry and highlanders. There was considerable delay in persuading the divisional commanders to make the arduous journey down to the valleys at Balaclava. Many of the regiments had spent the night in the trenches and were exhausted and only days previously a similar alarm had caused the infantry to make just this march to find it was a false alarm. Following the Russians’ successful attack on the Turkish troops in Number One Redoubt the garrisons of the other earthworks left their positions and made for Balaclava, some of the Turkish soldiers being belaboured by a Scottish soldier’s wife as they fled through the camp of the 93rd Highlanders.

Sergeant Major Bailey of the Royal Dragoons The Charge of the Heavy Brigade: As the Russian infantry and guns pushed the Turks out of the redoubts a force of 3,000 Russian cavalry moved from the North Valley onto the Causeway Heights with the intention of advancing across the South Valley to occupy Balaclava. At the same time the British Heavy Brigade, of 900 cavalrymen commanded by Major General James Scarlett, was moving eastwards into the South Valley. The main section of the brigade comprised six squadrons of the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons), the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons and the 5th Dragoon Guards, in two columns. Following these columns were the 1st Royal Dragoons and the 4th Dragoon Guards, another four squadrons. Lord Raglan and his staff on the Sapouné Heights, looking down from the high ground, could see the two cavalry forces converging. The Russians and the Heavy Brigade could not see each other, until the Russian cavalry came over the Causeway Heights and began their descend into the South Valley. In front of them, marching across their line of advance, was the Heavy Brigade.

The Charge of the Heavy Brigade: the Royal Scots Greys attack the Russian cavalry. the Grey's 2nd Squadron was led in the charge by Captain Samuel Toosey Williams. Captain Williams died in Scutari on 25th November 1854 of exhaustion and exposure suffered in the period around the battle and the Great Storm of 15th November 1854. A memorial to this officer can be seen in the tiny church of Buscot, Oxfordshire where his parents lived. General Scarlett acted immediately, forming his left column into line and leading them into the attack on the Russian cavalry force. The squadrons of the other column followed as a second line and the Royals and 4th Dragoon Guards hurried up to join the attack as quickly as they could. The Charge of the Heavy Brigade (The Greys and the Royals) French Chasseurs D'Afrique : The 4th Chasseurs D'Afrique, a mounted regiment, charged the Russians on the Fedioukine Hills and cleared the flank of the Light Brigade, saving them from fire on that side during the retreat from the charge As the Heavy Brigade charged, the Russian cavalry force halted so that it received the Heavy Brigade charge stationary.

The Russian commander appeared to be seeking to extend his line after crossing the Causeway Heights. The first line of Scots Greys and Inniskillings struck the Russian cavalry, followed by the second line of Inniskillings and 5th Dragoon Guards. The wings of the Russian formation closed in behind the two lines and the Royal Dragoons charged the wings in the rear. The two forces struggled on the hillside until the 4th Dragoon Guards came up and delivered a further charge into the Russian flank. In Hamley’s words “Then -almost as it seemed in a moment, and simultaneously- the whole Russian mass gave way, and fled, at speed and in disorder, beyond the hill, vanishing behind the slope some four or five minutes after they had first swept over it”. In the rush to charge the Russians the brigade commander, General Scarlett, with his adc Lieutenant Alick Elliot, his trumpeter and orderly outstripped the line of troopers and plunged into the Russian ranks initially alone. Scarlett suffered five wounds and Elliot fourteen wounds. Lord Raglan sent down the message to Scarlett “Well done”.

The Thin Red Line: As the force of Russian cavalry came over the lip of the Causeway Heights before engaging the Heavy Brigade, a force of four squadrons detached from the main body and headed directly for Balaclava. In their path lay the 93rd Highlanders under Sir Colin Campbell, the commander of the Highland Brigade. Two Turkish battalions fled on the Russians advance. As the Russians approached, Campbell brought the 93rd from concealment and formed line across the cavalry’s line of advance. The staff on Sapouné Hill saw what William Russell, the Times correspondent, described as a “thin red line tipped with steel” (in his initial report the expression used was “a thin red streak…”) Lord Cardigan leading the Light Brigade in the Charge Hamley reports that the 93rd fired one volley at extreme range and the Russian cavalry withdrew. Other authorities state that the highlanders fired a second volley, also at considerable range. The unyielding presence of the single Highland regiment caused the Russians to abandon their intention of taking Balaclava.

The Charge of the Light Brigade: While the Heavy Brigade engaged the Russian cavalry force in the South Valley, the Light Brigade was in position at the western end of the North Valley. Following its defeat by Scarlett’s brigade, the Russian cavalry recrossed the Causeway Heights into the North Valley, presenting an opportunity for the Light Brigade to attack them in flank and complete the rout begun by Scarlett’s charge. Lord Cardigan failed to take the opportunity, even though the commanding officer of the17th Lancers, Captain Morris, pressed him to attack and in the light of Cardigan’s refusal sought permission to charge with his regiment, a request Cardigan also refused. Morris returned to his regiment striking his thigh and saying “What an opportunity we have missed”. Raglan’s failure to commit the cavalry to offensive action in the campaign to date had caused considerable frustration in the cavalry division and derision in the rest of the army. On the Bulganek and Alma Rivers during the march towards Sevastopol in September 1854 Raglan had refused to permit the Light Brigade to attack, causing the army to give the divisional commander the nickname of Lord “Look-on”, attributing the division’s inaction to him.

Click here to purchase a Giclee Print of this Picture Now at Balaclava, in the absence of the infantry, the cavalry was required to play a major role. The Heavy Brigade had played its part to the full. The opportunity was passing to the Light Brigade and Cardigan refused to act. There seems to be no doubting Cardigan’s personal courage. He claimed that Lucan had forbidden him to take offensive action. The opportunity for the Light Brigade was particularly apparent to Raglan’s staff watching from the Sapouné Hills, amongst whom there was considerable excitement, particularly on the part of Captain Lewis Nolan of the 15th Hussars, General Airey’s adc, a fine horseman and a ferocious advocate of the aggressive use of cavalry. Lord Raglan's Order to the Cavalry to attack As the Russian cavalry force withdrew along the North Valley to take up a position behind a battery of eight guns at the far end, Raglan’s staff saw that the Russians on the Causeway Heights were preparing to remove the naval guns captured from the Turks in the redoubts. Loss of guns was a clear indicator of success or failure in battle and could not be allowed to go unchallenged.

The two British infantry divisions had still not reached the valley floor so that the only force available to prevent the removal of the guns was the cavalry division. The alarm is given in the Cavalry Camp : Dawn 25th October 1854 At Raglan’s direction General Airey wrote the famous order to Lucan, stating: “Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. Troop of horse artillery may accompany. French cavalry is on your left. Immediate.” Because of the urgency of the message and the difficulty in reaching the valley floor from the Sapouné Hills the order was entrusted to Captain Lewis Nolan. The authorities agree this was an unfortunate choice. Hamley describes Nolan as “the author of a book on cavalry tactics, in which faith in the power of that arm is carried to an extreme”. An Officer of the 11th Hussars Nolan, a mercurial professional cavalry officer who had begun his career in an Austrian hussar regiment, entertained a contempt for Lucan and was constantly irked by the failure to use the cavalry decisively. Nolan rode headlong down the steep slope and delivered Raglan’s order.

The text made little sense to Lucan as the preparations for the removal of the guns from the redoubts could not be seen from the valley floor. Lucan asked Nolan which enemy and which guns Raglan was referring to. Nolan is reported to have flung his arm out in the direction of the Russian cavalry force now positioned behind its guns at the end of the North Valley and to have said with some insolence, “There is your enemy. There are your guns, My Lord.” Click here or image to buy a print Raglan’s staff watched horrified from the top of Sapouné Hill as the Light Brigade moved off down the valley and failed to turn up onto the Causeway Heights. They could see the Russians positioned on the Fedioukine Hills to the north side of the North Valley, with infantry, cavalry and guns, the original force of Russian cavalry attacked by the Heavy Brigade at the end of the North Valley behind the battery of 8 guns and on the Causeway Heights on the south side of the valley, Russian infantry, cavalry and guns in the redoubts abandoned by the Turks. All these troops were ready to fire into the Light Brigade as it attacked down the North Valley.

Vedettes of the 13th Light Dragoons It was soon after 11am that the Light Brigade set off behind Lord Cardigan. The 13th Light Dragoons held the right flank of the first line with the 17th Lancers on the left. The 11th Hussars, Cardigan’s regiment, formed the second line, positioned behind the 17th Lancers. In the third line were the 8th Hussars and the 4th Light Dragoons. Lord Lucan followed with the Heavy Brigade, but a short distance into the advance, as the scale of fire became apparent, he halted the brigade and left the Light Brigade to continue down the valley alone. The 17th Lancers in the Charge: Lord Cardigan leads the Regiment Captain Nolan joined the ranks of the 17th Lancers, the officer commanding, Captain Morris, being a friend. It is thought Nolan realised the brigade was intended to ascend the Causeway Heights, not to attack down the valley, and that a grave mistake was being made. Nolan rode across in front of Cardigan waving his sword.

As he did so he was struck and killed by a shell splinter, one of the first casualties. The distance the Light Brigade had to cover to reach the guns was a mile and a quarter. Advancing at a trot the brigade came under fire within a few minutes; shell fire, cannon balls and rifle fire from the flanking Russian forces striking down riders and horses. After five minutes the brigade came within range of the eight guns at the end of the valley. These guns had a much easier target, firing at the brigade line, around 100 yards in width, rather than at its flank. Casualties spiraled causing the regiments to increase their pace until the lines were at the gallop and order was being lost. By the time the brigade reached the guns, half of its complement were casualties. The cookhouse of the 8th Hussars Reaching the end of the valley, the Light Brigade plunged into the Russian gun line and slaughtered those of the crews that had not fled. The 13th Light Dragoons with the right hand squadron of the 17th Lancers struck the Russian Battery directly. The left squadron of the 17th passed the battery and attacked Russian cavalry behind.

The 11th Hussars passed the battery and attacked the cavalry beyond driving them back and pursuing them as far as the aqueduct. They were in turn pursued for some distance by a force of Russian cavalry and Cossacks. 8th Light Dragoons (Hussars) The charge complete the Light Brigade returned by the route it had come. It did this singly and in small groups, other than two larger parties: one led by Colonel Shewell formed of 70 men of the 8th Hussars and the 17th Lancers; the other led by Lord George Paget of 4th Light Dragoons and 11th Hussars. Each of these bodies was opposed by Russian cavalry who emerged from the hills on either side of the valley, which they charged and dispersed. The aftermath of the Charge of the Light Brigade: the survivors return The French General Morris directed the 4th Chasseurs D’Afrique, a colonial cavalry regiment, to attack along the Fedioukine Hills and silence the Russian fire on the north side of the valley. This they did with great success and a loss of only 38 casualties.

This relieved the British cavalrymen of the fire from the north side of the valley as they returned. Lord Cardigan having ridden through the battery found himself alone, turned and rode back down the valley. He was one of the first to reach British lines where he met Sir George Cathcart. He is reported to have said “I have lost my brigade.” The French Chasseurs D'Afrique attack On its return the Light Brigade had a mounted strength of 195 officers and men from an original strength of 673. 247 men were killed and wounded. 475 horses were killed and 42 wounded. The 13th Light Dragoons mustered 10 mounted men. Although the First and Fourth British Infantry Divisions were now in the valley and ready to begin an assault on the Causeway Heights along the Woronzoff Road, no further action was taken. The Russians were left in control of the Heights and the road. The infantry divisions returned to their camps. A Russian Cossack sits by his dead horse The Heavy Brigade suffered 92 casualties (9 of whom were killed) in the battle, some of whom were hit at the beginning of the charge down the North Valley.

17th Light Dragoons (Lancers) Victoria Crosses awarded to the regiments at Balaclava: Royal Scots Greys: 2 4th Dragoon Guards: 5 men 5th Dragoon Guards: 2 officers and 13 men 1st Royal Dragoons: 4 officers and 9 men Royal Scots Greys: 4 officers and 55 men 6th Inniskilling Dragoons: 15 men 4th Light Dragoons: 4 officers and 55 men 8th Hussars: 4 officers and 53 men 11th Hussars: 3 officers and 55 men 13th Light Dragoons: 3 officers and 38 men 17th Lancers: 7 officers and 67 men 93rd Highlanders: no casualties.

"Sir Briggs" one of the horse survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade: ridden in the Charge by Lord Tredegar, an officer of the 17th Lancers Follow-up: The main consequence of the battle was that the use of the Woronzoff Road was lost to the British for the winter of 1854/1855, making the disastrous conditions even more difficult. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons Regimental anecdotes and traditions: The Charge of the Light Brigade caused a sensation in Victorian Britain and throughout the world. It quickly became the stuff of legend, Lord Tennyson writing his famous poem: see below. Controversy has raged over the mistake that sent the Light Brigade down the valley instead of up onto the Causeway Heights. Lord Lucan bore most of the blame. Hamley, who was present at the battle, questions the ambiguous wording of Raglan’s order. Without a doubt the extraordinary clash of personalities between Cardigan, Lucan and Nolan played a major part. The one unquestionable feature that emerges from the battle is the courage and persistence of the ordinary troopers and regimental officers of the cavalry regiments that fought at Balaclava.

All the Crimean battles show the mid-Victorian British soldier to have been a very tough breed. The French 4th Chasseurs D’Afrique deserve great praise for their attack along the Fedioukine Hills that relieved the retreating Light Brigade of further gun fire from one of the flanks. Among the various controversies one is whether the charge was begun by a trumpet call and who sounded it. It seems likely that there was no call, just an order to mount followed by the orders “Walk, March”. The pace increased inexorably as the Brigade moved down the valley. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The survivors from the Charge of the Light Brigade : 13th Light Dragoons photographed n 1855 by Roger Fenton Cornet Wilkins, 11th Light Dragonos (Hussars) Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Charge for the guns!' he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew Some one had blundered: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, The charge of the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade! Down the hill, down the hill, thousands of Russians, Thousands of horsemen, drew to the valley–and stay’d; For Scarlett and Scarlett’s three hundred were riding by When the points of the Russian lances arose in the sky; And he call’d, ‘Left wheel into line!’ and they wheel’d and obey’d.

Then he look’d at the host that had halted he knew not why, And he turn’d half round, and he bade his trumpeter sound To the charge, and he rode on ahead, as he waved his blade To the gallant three hundred whose glory will never die– ‘Follow,’ and up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, Follow’d the Heavy Brigade. II. The trumpet, the gallop, the charge, and the might of the fight! Thousands of horsemen had gather’d there on the height, With a wing push’d out to the left and a wing to the right, And who shall escape if they close? but he dash’d up alone Thro’ the great gray slope of men, Sway’d his sabre, and held his own Like an Englishman there and then. All in a moment follow’d with force Three that were next in their fiery course, Wedged themselves in between horse and horse, Fought for their lives in the narrow gap they had made– Four amid thousands! and up the hill, up the hill, Gallopt the gallant three hundred, the Heavy Brigade. III.

Crash’d like a hurricane, Broke thro’ the mass from below, Drove thro’ the midst of the foe, Plunged up and down, to and fro, Rode flashing blow upon blow, Brave Inniskillens and Greys Whirling their sabres in circles of light! And some of us, all in amaze, Who were held for a while from the fight, And were only standing at gaze, When the dark-muffled Russian crowd Folded its wings from the left and the right, And roll’d them around like a cloud,– O, mad for the charge and the battle were we, When our own good redcoats sank from sight, Like drops of blood in a dark-gray sea, And we turn’d to each other, whispering, all dismay’d, ‘Lost are the gallant three hundred of Scarlett’s Brigade!’ IV.

‘Lost one and all’ were the words Mutter’d in our dismay; But they rode like victors and lords Thro’ the forest of lances and swords In the heart of the Russian hordes, They rode, or they stood at bay– Struck with the sword-hand and slew, Down with the bridle-hand drew The foe from the saddle and threw Underfoot there in the fray– Ranged like a storm or stood like a rock In the wave of a stormy day; Till suddenly shock upon shock Stagger’d the mass from without, Drove it in wild disarray, For our men gallopt up with a cheer and a shout, And the foeman surged, and waver’d, and reel’d Up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, out of the field, And over the brow and away. V. Glory to each and to all, and the charge that they made! Glory to all the three hundred, and all the Brigade! Note.–The ‘three hundred’ of the ‘Heavy Brigade’ who made this famous charge were the Scots Greys and the 2d squadron of Inniskillens; the remainder of the ‘Heavy Brigade’ subsequently dashing up to their support.

The ‘three’ were Scarlett’s aide-de-camp, Elliot, and the trumpeter, and Shegog the orderly, who had been close behind him. The Inniskilling Dragoons in the Charge of the Heavy Brigade References: see the main Crimean War site on britishbattles.com. Designed and maintained by Chalfont Web Design © Britishbattles.com 2002 - 2016; 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' Lord Alfred Tennyson, 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' 1854 Share Intro Tennyson was born in Lincolnshire in 1809, and became one of the most famous poets of the Victorian age. ‘The Lady of Shalott’, which was written in 1832, is one of his most notable early poems. The Lady lives an isolated life in a tower on an island outside Camelot, under the spell of a mysterious curse that prevents her from looking down upon the city: the only way she can experience the outside world is through the shadows reflected in her mirror.

The poem prefigures Tennyson’s later concern with the retelling of Arthurian myth, and its central character has been seen as a defining image of Victorian womanhood. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ belongs to a very different world. It is a vivid account of the disastrous attack led by Lord Cardigan at the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854, and draws attention to the contrast between the foolishness of the generals and the heroic actions of the soldiers as they ride ‘into the valley of death’. Its dactylic metre and rousing tone emphasise the soldiers’ bravery. The poem was published less than 2 months after the events it depicts, and was distributed in pamphlet form among the troops in the Crimean War. Battle of Balaklava | European history | Britannica.com Battle of Balaklava Alternative Title: Battle of Balaclava Related Topics Listen: Balaklava, Battle of: bugler playing “Charge of the Light Brigade” Trumpeter Landfrey, a bugler during the Battle of Balaklava (Oct.

25, 1854), playing … Battle of Balaklava, Balaklava also spelled Balaclava, (Oct. 25 [Oct. 13, Old Style], 1854), indecisive military engagement of the Crimean War , best known as the inspiration of the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “ Charge of the Light Brigade . ” In this battle, the Russians failed to capture Balaklava, the Black Sea supply port of the British , French, and Turkish forces in the southern Crimea; but the British lost control of their best supply road connecting Balaklava with the heights above Sevastopol , the major Russian naval centre that was under siege. The charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava, Crimean War, Oct. 25, 1854.

Time Life Pictures/Mansell/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Early in the battle the Russians occupied the Fedyukhin and the Vorontsov heights, bounding a valley near Balaklava, but they were prevented from taking the town by General Sir James Scarlett’s Heavy Brigade and by Sir Colin Campbell’s 93rd Highlanders, who beat off two Russian cavalry advances. Lord Raglan and his British staff, based on the heights above Sevastopol , however, observed the Russians removing guns from the captured artillery posts on the Vorontsov heights and sent orders to the Light Brigade to disrupt them. The final order became confused, however, and the brigade, led by Lord Cardigan, swept down the valley between the heights rather than toward the isolated Russians on the heights. The battle ended with the loss of 40 percent of the Light Brigade. Tennyson’s “ Charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava, ” never popular, is unknown except to literary scholars.

Learn More in these related articles: Charge Of The Light Brigade: Britain's most famous Military Disaster The Charge of the Light Brigade by Caton Woodville Storm’d at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred – From The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson The Charge of the Light Brigade, a disastrous and futile cavalry charge of the Crimean War, is the most famous military disaster in British history. Generations of British children have learned about a charge which would more reasonably only be remembered only by academics and historians. So what happened in that charge? And why did it become so famous? The Battle of Balaclava Lasting from October 1854 to September 1855, the Siege of Sevastopol was one of the most bloody and significant encounters of the Crimean War. As the British and their allies closed in on the city, British forces under Lord Raglan took up defensive positions in the east of the allied lines, above the small harbour of Balaclava.

On 25 October 1854, Russian General Liprandi launched an attack against allied forces in the sector, aiming to seize their positions and start driving back the allies. This was the Battle of Balaclava. Muddled Information At first the Russian attack was successful. Catching the allies by surprise and ill-prepared, they over-ran Turkish positions and launched a large cavalry charge. The infantry of the Scottish Highlanders now engaged in a series of heroic actions, driving off the Russian charge. Their steadfastness in the face of an intimidating threat had halted a Russian advance while the 800 cavalry of the Heavy Brigade routed 3,000 Russians elsewhere on the battlefield. This could have been the moment of allied triumph if Lord Cardigan, commanding the Light Brigade of British cavalry, had taken the opportunity to pursue the fleeing enemy. But he did not. As the Russians took the opportunity to retrieve artillery they would otherwise lose, Lord Raglan sent frantic messages to Lord Lucan, commander of the cavalry, telling him to attack. Unfortunately, the rugged terrain meant that the two men could not see the same things as each other. Raglan’s vaguely worded orders added to confusion, leaving Lucan unclear on the objective.

Finally, Raglan sent the hot-headed Captain Nolan of the 15th Hussars with written orders telling Lucan to advance rapidly and prevent the enemy taking away the guns. An angry exchange followed between Nolan and Lucan, who could not see the guns he was meant to seize. But orders were orders, and finally Lucan ordered Cardigan, his brother-in-law and another headstrong cavalry officer, to launch the Light Brigade down the valley, despite a lack of adequate support. As Cardigan led his troops on what he knew to be a suicidal charge, Nolan joined him. Continues on Page 2 Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava - Charge of the Light Brigade Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava Crimean War: Battle of Balaclava The Charge of the Light Brigade by Richard Caton Woodville. Photograph Source: Public Domain Battle of Balaclava Conflict & Date: The Battle of Balaclava was fought October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War (1853-1856).

Armies & Commanders: 25,000 men Battle of Balaclava Background: Following their victory over the Russians at the Battle of Alma on September 20, 1854, British and French forces advanced south towards the port of Sevastopol. Rather than assault the city directly the Lord Raglan and Marshal Jacques St. Arnaud elected to lay siege. Slowly moving south, their tardy progress gave Prince Aleksandr Menshikov time to prepare defenses and re-form his beaten army. Passing inland of Sevastopol, the Allies sought to approach the city from the south. To support their operations, the French established a base on the west coast at Kamiesh, while the British took Balaclava in the south. By occupying Balaclava, Raglan committed the British to defending the Allies' right flank, a mission that he lacked the men to accomplish effectively. Located outside of the main Allied lines, work began on providing Balaclava with its own defensive network. To the north of the city were heights which descended into the South Valley.

Along the northern edge of the valley were the Causeway Heights across which ran the Woronzoff Road which provided a vital link to the siege operations at Sevastopol. To protect the road, Turkish troops began building a series of redoubts beginning with Redoubt No. 1 in the east on Canrobert's Hill. Above the heights was the North Valley which was bounded by the Fedioukine Hills to the north and the Sapouné Heights to the west. To defend this area, Raglan had only Lord Lucan's Cavalry Division, which was camped at the western end of the valleys, the 93rd Highlanders, and a contingent of Royal Marines. In the weeks since Alma, Russian reserves had reached the Crimea and Menshikov began planning a strike against the Allies. The Russians Rebound: Gathering around 25,000 men, Menshikov instructed General Pavel Liprandi to move to strike Balaclava from the east. Capturing the village of Chorgun on October 18, Liprandi was able to reconnoiter the Balaclava defenses.

Developing his plan of attack, the Russian commander intended for a column to take Kamara in the east, while another attacked the eastern end of Causeway Heights and nearby Canrobert's Hill. These assaults were to be supported by Lieutenant General Iv. Ryzhov's cavalry while a column under Major General Zhabokritsky moved onto the Fedioukine Heights. Commencing his attack early on October 25, Liprandi's forces were able to take Kamara and overwhelmed the defenders of Redoubt No. 1 on Canrobert's Hill. Pressing forward, they succeeded in taking Redoubts Nos. 2, 3, and 4, while inflicting heavy losses on their Turkish defenders. Witnessing the battle from his headquarters on the Sapouné Heights, Raglan ordered the 1st and 4th Divisions to leave the lines at Sevastopol to aid the 4,500 defenders at Balaclava. General François Canrobert, commanding the French army, also sent reinforcements including the Chasseurs d'Afrique. Clash of the Cavalry: Seeking to exploit his success, Liprandi ordered forward Ryzhov's cavalry.

Advancing across the North Valley with between 2,000 to 3,000 men, Ryzhov crested the Causeway Heights before spotting Brigadier General James Scarlett's Heavy (Cavalry) Brigade moving across his front. He also saw the Allied infantry position, consisting of the 93rd Highlands and the remnants of the Turkish units, in front of the village of Kadikoi. Detaching 400 men of the Ingermanland Hussars, Ryzhov ordered them to clear the infantry. Riding down, the hussars were met with a furious defense by the "Thin Red Line" of the 93rd. Turning the enemy back after a few volleys, the Highlanders held their ground. Scarlett, spotting Ryzhov's main force on his left, wheeled his horsemen and attacked. Halting his troops, Ryzhov met the British charge and worked to envelop them with his larger numbers. In a furious fight, Scarlett's men were able to drive back the Russians, forcing them to retreat back over the heights and up the North Valley.

Charge of the Light Brigade: Retreating across the front of the Light Brigade, its commander, Lord Cardigan, did not attack as he believed his orders from Lucan required him to hold his position. As a result, a golden opportunity was missed. Ryzhov's men halted at the east end of the valley and reformed behind a battery of eight guns. Though his cavalry had been repulsed, Liprandi had infantry and artillery on the eastern part of the Causeway Heights as well as Zhabokritsky's men and guns on the Fedioukine Hills. Desiring to retake the initiative, Raglan issued Lucan a confusing order to attack on two fronts with infantry support. As the infantry had not arrived, Raglan held did not advance but did deploy the Light Brigade to cover the North Valley, while the Heavy Brigade protected the South Valley. Increasingly impatient at Lucan's lack of activity, Raglan dictated another vague order instructing the cavalry to attack around 10:45 AM. Delivered by hot-headed Captain Louis Nolan, Lucan was confused by Raglan's order.

Growing angry, Nolan insolently stated that Raglan desired an attack and began indiscriminately pointing up the North Valley towards Ryzhov's guns rather than to the Causeway Heights. Angered by Nolan's behavior, Lucan sent him away rather than question him further. Riding to Cardigan, Lucan indicated that Raglan desired him to attack up the valley. Cardigan questioned the order as there were artillery and enemy forces on three sides of the line of advance. To this Lucan replied, "But Lord Raglan will have it. We have no choice but to obey." Mounting up, the Light Brigade moved off down the valley as Raglan, able to see the Russian positions, watched in horror. Charging forward, the Light Brigade was hammered by the Russian artillery losing nearly half its strength before it reached Ryzhov's guns. Following to their left, the Chasseurs d'Afrique swept along Fedioukine Hills driving off the Russians, while the Heavy Brigade moved in their wake until Lucan halted them to avoid taking more losses. Battling around the guns, the Light Brigade drove off some of the Russian cavalry, but was compelled to retreat when they realized that no support was forthcoming.

Nearly surrounded, the survivors fought their back up the valley while under fire from the heights. The losses incurred in the charge prevented any additional action by the Allies for the rest of the day. Aftermath: The Battle of Balaclava saw the Allies suffer 615 killed, wounded, and captured, while the Russians lost 627. Prior to the charge, the Light Brigade possessed a mounted strength of 673 men. This was reduced to 195 after the battle, with 247 killed and wounded and the loss of 475 horses. Short on men, Raglan could not risk further assaults on the heights and they remained in Russian hands. Though not the complete victory that Liprandi had hoped for, the battle severely restricted Allied movement to and from Sevastopol. Selected Sources The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film) - Wikiquote The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film) From Wikiquote Directed by Tony Richardson . Written by Charles Wood That grand heroic moment - The Charge of the Light Brigade!

( taglines ) Contents "England is Looking Well."[ edit ] [Lord Cardigan is inspecting his troops] Lord Cardigan: [voiceover] I do not propose to recount my life in any detail, what is what. No damn business of anyone, what is what. I am Lord Cardigan, that is what! Them Cherrybums , you see 'em tight, my Cherrybums, I keep 'em tight. Ten thousand a year out of me own pocket I spend to clothe 'em. A master cutler sharps their swords, and I keep 'em tight-stitched, cut to a shadow. Good! If they can't fornicate, they can't fight, and if they don’t fight hard, I'll flog their backs raw, for all their fine looks! [Troop Sergeant Major Corbett is addressing prospective recruits.] TSM Corbett: Culloden . Flanders. Salamanca . Waterloo . Ah! And escort to Prince Albert on the occasion of his wedding, after which he called us His Own. God bless him! [drinks, or pretends to drink, from a large tankard.] Our dress is bright and warm.

Out mounts is mastered and mannered, gentle in ride...calm in battle, and our officers just whisper, they being of the opinion, like to myself, that more can be done glorious by leading from the front than can ever be brought off by prods up the arse from the rear! [Laughs heartily, sees Mitchell] Hold your head up, sir! I believe you would look a rare treat in stable dress. Are you respectable? Mitchell: I've often thought of enlisting. TSM Corbett: I thought you had, by the fine way you carry yourself. Metcalfe: [at the amiable stage of intoxication] I'm a bad character, just out of gaol! TSM Corbett: In that case, you've already served Her Majesty! [All laugh] Lord Cardigan's Cherrybums -- follow me! [Riding-master Mogg is observing Corbett's new recruits.] Riding-master Mogg: What is the condition of them? TSM Corbett: They're all wobbly-boned. Recruits in England are mostly wobbly and ill-formed. Mogg: Ah, but there is no such thing as a wobbly hofficer.

What you sergeants will never seem to understand is the state of responsibility that an hofficer is in. They worry. They 'ardly never wobble. Captain Nolan: [voiceover] There is no place happier than a cavalry mess. If one is a stupid, inconsiderate and lazy man, one can fit as a round peg in a snug round hole. At times, I am so pent up with their languour that I could scruff hold of any two of them and bang their noddles together until their doodles drop off! [At Lady Scarlett's ball.] Lord Cardigan: [to Squire de Burgh, on observing the ladies] All this swish and tit gets my sniffing nose up! I shall have to fetch it off, tonight, Squire, had me Cherrybums out today, always makes me randified! [Mogg has been watching TSM Corbett attempting to teach the new recruits right from left.] Riding-master Mogg: [to Nolan] It's like a foreign language to them! They don't know hany direction, back or front. They'll never find their front when there hisn't a black face to it.

I halways tells them they'll know their front from [to Nolan's Indian servant] the many black nigger faces waving knives at 'em! "Black Bottle!"[ edit ] [It is mess night for the regiment. A mess waiter serves Cornet Codrington an improbably large head of lettuce.] Lord Cardigan: [noticing Codrington's unusual meal] Are you costive , young man? Codrington: [holding up a folded note] I have your orders, my lord, to be here and eat lettuce. I am eating lettuce, I have eaten lettuce. [He passes the note to Captain Featherstonehaugh.] Cardigan: What is it? Featherstonehaugh: [trying not to laugh] What it tells Cornet Codrington, my lord, is that, as youngest officer, you will expect him to eat as a wabbit does, only lettuce! And it's signed by you, my lord! Cardigan: [hugely enjoying the prank] Green boy! Such a green boy! You have been drawn! Not my order you should eat lettuce, though perhaps it will put sap in your pizzle!

[The table roars with laughter, to Codrington's discomfiture.] [During the same meal.] Officer: What colour is the Russian enemy? Riding-master Mogg: Sneaky colour. Paymaster Duberly: Gwey. Your Russian is gwey. Which is why he can't be seen. Which is why his pwomotion is slow. Officer: With a little breeding, an Englishman can buy his advancement. Mogg: [indicating Duberly] He and Hi are not hable to buy our advancement, we have to hobtain it by our habilities! [A mess waiter has just placed a black bottle of Moselle between Captain Nolan and his guest, William Russell .] Squire de Burgh: [noticing, to Cardigan] Couleur de noir. Lord Cardigan: You are drinking beer, sir, porter beer! Nolan: No, my lord. Cardigan: Don't you "no" me! That is a black bottle. Nolan: I assure you, my lord-- Cardigan: That is a black bottle and you are drinking porter from it! Captain Featherstonehaugh: [braying] Champagne only!

Russell: In point of fact, I asked Captain Nolan if-- Featherstonehaugh: You knew that! Nolan: [rising] I am not aware-- Cardigan: [rising] I am aware you are drinking porter at my table! Featherstonehaugh: [rising] Sit down, Captain Nolan! Nolan: [not moving] Sit down, Featherstonehaugh. Featherstonehaugh: What His Lordship said was that champagne only was to be dwunk in the mess tonight. What he said--- Nolan: It is not porter, it is Moselle, my lord. Featherstonehaugh: Apologize! Nolan: [still endeavouring to keep his temper] If I am in error-- Cardigan: Error? Don't quibble with me, sir! Beer! I will not have beer drunk in my mess! [Nolan turns abruptly and starts walking out of the room] Come back, Nolan! Nolan, you will not leave the mess! I am not finished with you!! [The door shuts; Nolan has left.] Cardigan: [crimson with rage] Dog! Devil upstart! Impertinent Indian dog-devil!

[Cardigan is inspecting the stables in company of TSM Corbett.] Lord Cardigan: Sarn't Major. TSM Corbett: Sir. Cardigan: I want a report, a report of any conversation Captain Nolan has with other officers. You are to take note of whatever he might say and bring the information to me. TSM Corbett: [unable to believe what he has been told] I shall spy, my lord? Cardigan: You shall. TSM Corbett: My lord-- My lord, to be asked to take up the spy-- I am much distressed to be asked such a thing, my lord. After twenty years of coming up from private trooper...keeping off the pongelow ...not a drop since corporal. [resolutely] I shall inform Captain Nolan. I-- I can hardly do other. Cardigan: [impassive] Sarn't Major, it is better that you take a ball and put it in your own brain. You are finished, now, as if you had not ever been made. What a waste.

[Cardigan walks off, leaving a devastated Corbett to consider his future.] [TSM Corbett is being marched out to be flogged for being drunk on duty.] TSM Corbett: [voiceover] This is all according to the Articles of War . I was drunk at my post. It is not my place to criticise. But it will have a grave effect on the non-commissioned officers, for it will show there is a slender thread. One slip, and a man is deprived of what has taken years of steady effort to obtain. [While witnessing Corbett's punishment, Cornet Codrington passes out in a dead faint.] Riding-master Mogg: [to Nolan] Always one or two of your young tyro officers brings up or flops over. Fades away like Lily at bedtime! Captain Nolan: The time should be forever past when such treatment is inflicted on a British soldier! Mogg: They will not fight unless they are flogged to it. Would you ask that of them? Would you ask that they fight like fiends of 'Ell for money? Or hideas? That would be hun-Christian!

Captain Nolan: [voiceover] One day, there will be an army where troopers need not be forced to fight, by floggings or hard reins. An army-- a Christian army-- that fights because it is paid well to fight, and fights well because its women and children are cared for. An army that is efficient and of a professional feather. I must fight for such and army. That army will bring the first of the modern wars, and the last of the gallop. [In Lord Raglan's office.] General Airey: It does look like war. Lord Raglan: Does it? I do think the French have been asking for it, ever since they had my arm. Airey: But it won't be the French. Raglan: Won't it be the French? Airey: I've got a map, somewhere, of who it ought to be. [He walks over to a rolled wall map and pulls it down. It is of France.] Airey: Well, it might be the French. It might always be the French. Raglan: I knew it would be. [In Raglan's office.

Cardigan is incensed to learn he is to be under Lord Lucan's command.] Lord Cardigan: I cam to be offered a command, not serve under that fool Lucan! I knew, the moment I saw his biscuit face sopping up wet around the Horse Guards he'd be here, starting his wheedling! Lord Raglan: I am sure that after a little while, Lord Cardigan, you can be persuaded that such an arrangement can be made to work. After all, you will have the Light Brigade. Dash and fire, eh? General Airey: Yes, Cardigan. You'll have the Light Brigade. Dash and fire, it is! Cardigan: [slightly mollified] Lucan could not make himself fit to command a tent. Command an escort. Not fit to command a troop of knackered tailors on stubbed donkeys! [Raglan addresses his commanders.] Lord Raglan: War. This is war, gentlemen. Our passage to India is threatened, I should think, wouldn't you? The honour, the reputation, the glory of England is threatened, and the Queen's Majesty is sure to be threatened, she is.

Poor brave weak little, sick little Turkey-- [Lord Cardigan rides to the head of the Brigade.] Lord Cardigan: [calling out] Colonel Douglas, I shall expect your very best support! Colonel Douglas: You shall have it, my lord! Lord Cardigan: Mind, Douglas, your best support! Draw...swords!. [Six hundred swords rasp from their sheaths.] Lord Cardigan: [to himself] Well, here goes the last of the Brudenells. [Aloud] The Brigade will advance! Trumpeter, walk...march! [As the Brigade advances, Nolan comes to the horrified realization that they are moving down the wrong valley. He gallops ahead.] Captain Nolan: [frantically] The wrong way! Veer right! The wrong way! Veer right, my lord, veer right! [A shell explodes overhead and a splinter strikes Nolan in the chest. He continues to gallop forward for a few yards, uttering an inhuman shriek, then topples from his horse, dead] [The aftermath of the Charge: a 17th Lancer comes upon a wounded Hussar.] Wounded Hussar: Is that an Englishman? Lancer: Yes, old chap.

You've been wounded by a cut across your eyes which has blinded you. Wounded Hussar: Am I in pain? Lancer: You are in pain, I believe. (Tag line of the movie) ... Can history halt The Charge of the Light Brigade? | Film | The Guardian Reel history Can history halt The Charge of the Light Brigade? Tony Richardson's Crimean war drama is not totally off the map in terms of historical accuracy, but it is a bloody bore 'Look chaps, Wussians!' ... a still from Tony Richardson's The Charge of the Light Brigade. All photographs: Ronald Grant Archive Thursday 27 October 2011 09.26 EDT First published on Thursday 27 October 2011 09.26 EDT Entertainment grade: D History grade: B The Charge of the Light Brigade was led by the seventh Earl of Cardigan on 25 October 1854, as part of the Crimean war. Politics Nice day for a pony ride During the Battle of Balaclava, the British army was commanded by Lord Raglan, and the Light Brigade of cavalry by Lord Cardigan. Ignore the emerging knitwear theme: this was serious stuff.

The Crimean war was fought against the Russians by a joint British, French, Ottoman and Sardinian force. This is explained here with animations in the style of Punch cartoons by Richard Williams. So the Turkish state (represented, of course, by a turkey in a fez) is molested by a Russian bear, awakening the British lion. The animations get steadily more surreal, culminating in Queen Victoria slicing up St Basil's Cathedral with a knife and fork and munching its onion domes. People John Gielgud plays Lord Raglan as a stiff-upper-lipped commander. In real life, his upper lip was stiffer yet. As is correctly shown in the movie, his arm had to be amputated when he was shot in the elbow with a musket ball at Waterloo. While they sawed his arm off – without anaesthetic, of course – Raglan remained stoically silent. The only comment he made was when they chucked his severed limb into a basket. "Hey, bring my arm back up," he said. "There's a ring my wife gave me on the finger." What a badass.

Romance 'Is that a feather in your cap or are you just pleased to see me?' The film squanders much time on a tedious sub-plot involving Captain Louis Nolan ( David Hemmings ) having an affair with the wife of a brother officer. There's plenty of simpering and skipping about in sunny fields. Presumably this is supposed to endear Captain Nolan to the audience. It doesn't. More people 'Ooh, weren't you in War Horse?' Fortunately, super-villain Lord Cardigan ( Trevor Howard ) is on hand to wake you up with a jolt. Cardigan loathes Nolan, calling him "the Indian". Though the real Nolan served in the second Sikh war, it's a far cry to describe him as Indian. He was born in Milan and served in the 10th Hungarian Hussars before joining the British Army. The screenplay has borrowed for him the backstory of Captain John Reynolds, who was indeed part of what was called the "Indian" faction in the British Army. In the film, Lord Cardigan specifies that only champagne may be drunk at a mess dinner. Nolan orders Moselle wine in a black bottle. Cardigan is so furious he has Nolan arrested.

This did actually happen, because Cardigan was that crazy – but with Reynolds in the place of Nolan. War 'Er, what's that smell?' The Brits head to the Crimea, an event conveyed by the animator in alarming fashion. Queen Victoria squats over a map, lifts her crinoline, and warships issue forth from … well, one doesn't really want to ask. Soon, the Cossacks are sighted. "Wussians!" squeals one posh British officer, who like most of his fellows cannot pronounce his Rs. "Ooh, Wussians!" echoes his friend. Battle Tempers get a little frayed Most viewers will by now have had enough of the film's supposed hero, Captain Nolan, who in real life was a complete pillock. Nolan delivers a garbled order from Raglan to Cardigan, prompting the disastrous charge itself. The film tries to let him off, half-heartedly shifting the blame for the faulty order on to General Airey . Most historians blame Nolan for garbling the order. It was then misinterpreted by the commander of the Heavy Brigade, Lord Lucan (no, not that one), and carried out by Cardigan.

There is still some dispute over who was responsible for the disastrous charge, but the film is pretty sure it's Cardigan. Vengeance 'And then the bartender said: "Why the long face?" Ha ha ha!' At the beginning of the charge, riding out ahead, Nolan is shot. Afterwards, Cardigan is furious again. "Did you hear the creature?" he barks. "Shrieking like some tight girl, like a woman fetching off, damn him. Damn all his kind." General Scarlett replies: "My lord, you have just ridden over his dead body." Theatrical though this exchange sounds, it comprises almost direct quotations, spiced up only slightly from Cardigan's own memory of the conversation. Verdict Lords Cardigan and Raglan are watchable thanks to sterling performances by Howard and Gielgud, but the rest of the film is a bore.

Question: Which English Lord led the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854?
Answer: Lord Cardigan